The Piku actor has something special to say about his partner from many films…

Two-hero films were a rage once upon a time in Bollywood. From watching two actors either fighting each other out only to realise later that they are brothers to them being best of friends, ready to lay their lives for each other. We have seen many and loved them all. One of the oft repeated pairing in the 70s was of Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. Together they made great cinema like Deewar, Trishul, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Suhaag, Do Aur Do Paanch and others. No wonder that Bachchan was left speechless and emotional when Kapoor’s son and grandson requested him to record a special message as a part of a video tribute to Shashi Kapoor which will be played at Dadasaheb Phalke Awards ceremony. This year’s award has been conferred to Shashi Kapoor.

It is a possibility that the veteran actor might not attend the ceremony due to health issues. The actor has been bestowed with the honour for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Cinema since 1940s. The ceremony will be held next month. Amitabh Bachchan took to his blog to share his emotions. He wrote, “Shashi Kapoor wins the Dadasaheb Phalke Award by the Government of India, the National highest Award for the Industry by the system. We are all honoured by this decision. Shashiji and I have shared so much it is difficult to imagine how we did it, now, when I look back on it, asked by his son and grandson to fill in a few moments on video for the honour event in the Capital.”

Bachchan has always claimed that Shashi Kapoor is most deserving for the award and we couldn’t agree more. The tribute video will definitely be one of a kind and we are eagerly waiting for it to happen.

As Indian cinema celebrates 100 years of its glorious journey today, we look at the country’s first feature film made by Dhundiraj Govind Phalke aka Dadasaheb Phalke way back in 1913. We also had an exclusive chat with filmmaker Paresh Mokashi who portrayed the adventurous journey of the father of Indian cinema in his 2009 movie, Harishchandrachi Factory – India’s official entry to the Oscars that year

Exactly on this day, precisely 100 years back, a certain Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, a small town photographer from Maharashtra, showcased something to this country that made him the founding father of Indian cinema. And today, as we celebrate a century of our glorious film industry’s existence, it is time to salute the man who gave us our first feature film – Raja Harishchandra.

Never would anyone in their wildest dreams have imagined that Phalke’s dream to make the first Indian movie will see the birth of an industry that will one day churn out thousands of films every year and provide millions across the world their bread and butter. For that reason alone, DG Phalke aka Dadasaheb Phalke and his creation Raja Harishchandra deserves a thunderous applause.

The film revolved around the noble and righteous king, Harishchandra, who first sacrifices his kingdom, followed by his wife and eventually his children to honour his promise to sage Vishwamitra. But, in the end, pleased by his high morals, the Gods restore his former glory and further bestow him with divine blessings. The 50-minute long film took seven months and 21 days to complete. It was first premiered on April 21, 1913, at the Olympia theatre in Grant Road, Mumbai for a selected audience comprising famous personalities and editors of prominent newspapers. On May 3, 1913, the movie was shown to public at Coronation Cinema, Girgaon, Mumbai. Needless to say it was a commercial success and paved the way for India cinema’s enviable flourish.

Veteran Marathi theatre artist and filmmaker Paresh Mokashi was fascinated with Phalke’s journey as an artist and decided to make a film on it.“Since I was born and raised in a Marathi family, Dadasaheb Phalke was a known name to me. But even then, much like most of us, I did not know more than the two key facts about him – that a coveted award is instituted after Phalke and he is the father of Indian cinema,” says the 44-year-old filmmaker.

So what was it that fascinated Mokashi so much that he decided to make a film on it, which was selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the year 2009? “I was thrilled by the adventure this man had in spite of facing all financial odds to make India’s first feature film. Dadasaheb Phalke’s excitement and the incredible support he got from his wife to make this film happen instantly caught my fancy. His shear enthusiasm to take the imagination to a level where it could produce a result that was India’s first film is so inspiring. After doing much research about what had gone into making of Raja Harishchandra, I was clear in my mind that I had to do a film on it. My film Harishchandrachi Factory therefore depicts the real personality traits Phalke had – his sense of humour, his scientific approach towards the craft and his ability to see positives even in a situation and his never-say-die spirit – which continues to inspire us all even today. In that way, Raja Harishchandra stands testimony to the perseverance Dadasaheb Phalke had and how his efforts eventually culminated into the birth of a gigantic film industry had to be told,” says Mokashi.

We at BollywoodLife second his opinion and salute the film and its maker for paving the path for Indian cinema and its incredible journey.